Despite the popularity of the Spring Concert, there were people in Cheshire who hadn't gone, mainly the older folk and those without kids in high school. It was too cold, and it wasn't like they wouldn't hear about any highlights the next day anyway.
Catherine Connor had run for about half an hour in the cold until she finally found a house with people inside, just a couple of streets from Ethan's house. She banged on the door.
An elderly woman named Angela Tate answered, and was startled to see the young girl matted with dirt and looking exhausted. She could barely believe the story Catherine told her, despite how short and precise it was, but Mrs. Tate let the girl inside and called Sheriff Bradford for her.
While the sheriff was on his way—he hadn't gone to the concert—Catherine called Charlie, who called Ethan, who had answered that Wyatt had caught us and he couldn't find me. He told Charlie about being drugged, and that maybe the same thing had happened to me.
Charlie told Mr. C about what Ethan and I had been doing, and they rushed to the administration office. Ethan was there with a needle in hand, and he and Charlie gave a brief explanation about all the things Wyatt had done, and what the three of us had tried to do.
Sheriff Bradford arrived to Mrs. Tate's house, where Catherine explained everything again, in much greater detail. The sheriff contacted the other officers and they began to search for me and Wyatt, while also alerting the public to be on guard. The Spring Concert was broken up by Mr. C's announcement, and an officer already there alerted the public of Bradford's orders: find Wyatt, his car, and me.
Catherine's story gave everyone a place to start: the deserted fields outside of Cheshire. Everyone knew of the little house out there, abandoned and useless. Bradford led some men there—officers and volunteers from town—and they found Wyatt's car, but not me or even him. They spread out to cover more ground.
Meanwhile, most of those who stayed in town searched near the outer areas, just in case I'd freed myself like how I'd freed Catherine, and that I was just lost. Mrs. Connor and Cynthia waited at school as Angela Tate drove Catherine over. All the parents were with their kids, mostly the mothers and a few fathers staying behind, a lot of them upset.
Many of the parents didn't believe what Wyatt was being accused of, and they were blaming me for just getting myself lost, and Charlie and Ethan for making up stories.
Charlie took the mic and she told everyone what the beloved principal had done to her. This was the spark and leadership Wyatt's other victims needed. The other girls in the auditorium spoke up and told their parents what a pillar of the community had done to them too. Some girls had just started crying. Parents started crying too once it was enough and painfully plain to see how many girls had been violated and raped.
The principal himself hadn't gone far. A double dose of his drugs had left him groggy and slow, and an officer found him slowly running away. They handcuffed him and tried to get my whereabouts from him, but he could barely talk, so it was useless.
Sheriff Bradford was keeping everyone updated through his officers. Everyone in the auditorium heard the news that Wyatt had been found, but I hadn't. It was getting colder as time wore on, so Bradford asked for volunteers to help comb the woods for me. Almost everyone went, except a few people.
Celia, Charlie's mom, and Ethan's mom stayed with mine in the auditorium. Mr. Jones and Mr. Walker, along with a few other fathers, went out to go organize teams with the officers. There was so much ground to cover. The woods were so thick, and it was a starless night. Not to mention I was wearing dark clothing, and the fog in the woods was spreading.
Ethan, Charlie, and Cynthia jumped into Ethan's truck and sped home. Charlie had my sweater, and since Ethan's dog was the only animal I'd probably interacted with, they figured he could find me. The officers had their own search dog too, so having two would definitely help.
By the time they'd joined everyone else, the teams were already set, and Bradford sent everyone out in different directions. The plan was to cover everything from inside outward of Cheshire. Bradford had a group including Ethan, Charlie, and Cynthia cover the road that Catherine had traveled.
It was about midnight, and I still hadn't been found. The fog in the woods was thick, the cold unbelievable, and with every passing minute, some people were growing frantic. Cheshire's two doctors were waiting at the starting point; if they were too far, and I was found somewhere else, they wouldn't reach me fast enough. Everyone was communicating by radio, and since Cheshire wasn't big, everyone was reachable. The doctors were giving instructions to deal with hypothermia once they found me.
Cheshire's pediatrician had already tended to Catherine's cuts and bruises from having rolled out of a speeding car. She'd stayed with everyone in the auditorium while the general doctor went out with the other men. Many mothers in the school were turning to her about their daughters. Mr. C used to be a counselor for a battered women's shelter and a social worker; he provided knowledgeable comfort and resources for everyone.
During the search, it wasn't like everyone was silent. People were talking. They were angry that someone as despicable as Wyatt was doing these things to their daughters behind their backs, right in the place where children were supposed to be safe. The fathers had been kept away from Wyatt once Thomas' father, Phillip Wyatt, tried to attack him, getting in one punch before officers held him back.
Getting back to the search, Mr. Phillip Wyatt felt obligated to apologize to all the fathers, particularly to Mr. Jones and Mr. Walker, once he'd learned about what their kids had tried to do.
One of the administration staff logged onto Wyatt's computer and found the emails I'd sent. They told everyone and then called Mayor Seth, waking him up in the wee hours of the morning to check his email. He was appalled about the Cheshire High School principal and was on his way into town. He was also bringing a lawyer, in case any parents wanted to press charges.
The administration staff told Mayor Seth he should bring more than one.
Anyone who heard the apologies brushed them off, since they knew only one person was to blame. Phillip Wyatt, Rhett Jones, and Aaron Walker instead talked about what their children had accomplished as they looked for their children's' friend.
Hours were passing. The sky was slowly beginning to brighten with the approaching dawn. The dogs weren't finding a solid trail. It was so cold. Coffee was being made and spread around by the gallon. People were growing worried and were assuming the worse, along with a tinge of guilt. Ethan said people were saying I'd done so much, so I didn't deserve 'this', whatever 'this' was supposed to be.
Those around my mother were worrying about her. She wasn't crying or anything. She was catatonic, and seeing her was just plain sad and scary. Nothing was comforting her, and she wasn't eating or drinking anything.
The sun was rising. Everyone had combed as much as they could, emerging on the other side of the woods empty-handed. No one was giving up, but no one seemed ready to find a body.
Ethan, Charlie, and Cynthia had formed their own little team with Ethan's dog. As they searched, they were mostly comforting Cynthia, who was blaming herself for missing all the signs. Catherine had been in a depressive state even after the matter with their father was resolved. She'd never thought to question anything.
Vanilla suddenly bolted forward, his leash right out of Ethan's hands. The three of them ran after him, afraid to lose him in the fog, even after they already did. They shouted his name as they ran, but he wasn't responding. They followed where he'd disappeared to. Ethan radioed everyone that Vanilla might've found something, and he tried his best to give everyone a direction to find them.
Barks were filling the air. Vanilla had definitely found something. He found my body.
YOU ARE READING
Cheshire Girl
Paranormal"There were three things about which I was absolutely certain. First, I didn't have my cell phone. Second, my hands hurt from gripping the trunk lid closed. They would probably be useless to put up a fight. ...
